The present invention relates to the inspection method and apparatus utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for inspecting those physical portions of a person to be inspected which move together with the breathing of the patient, such as the abdominal region and the cervical region, by forming tomograms of these portions on the basis of a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon.
In a case where a tomogram is formed by multiple-echo magnetic resonance imaging (hereinafter referred to as "MRI"), when an object to be imaged moves, a false image is formed, and thus the tomogram cannot be used for inspection. For example, the abdominal region of a person moves unceasingly with breathing. Accordingly, to achieve a tomogram of the abdominal region, the movement of the abdominal region is suppressed by wrapping the entire abdominal region in something or by binding the abdominal region tightly with a bandage. Such methods inflict pain on a person to be inspected. Further, it is impossible to suppress the movement of the abdominal region due to breathing, completely during a period when an imaging operation is performed on the abdominal region (for example, a period of 15 to 20 minutes). Thus, it is impossible to remove the false image completely from the tomogram.
Further, a method has been proposed, in which the movement of the abdominal region is detected, and the algorithm of an imaging sequence is modified on the basis of the detected movement so that the false image is removed from the tomogram. For example, a belt provided with a tension sensor is wound around the abdominal region, and an echo signal is used only in a period between a time when exhalation has been completed and a time when air is again inhaled (that is, a period when the abdominal region stands still) is used for forming a tomogram. According to this method, the false image can be removed, but it takes a lot of time to form the tomogram. Although the abdominal region is usually inspected in a time span of 15 to 20 minutes, the above method requires an imaging time more than 30 minutes.